Resist The Devil Series

Introduction

I would like to begin today’s sermon by asking you a couple of questions? Here is the first question. If someone, in your life, that you trust tells you to do something, how likely are you to do what they tell you? I would say that if I trust them that I am likely to do what they say because in the back of my mind I am saying to myself that they have my best interest at heart.

And here is question number two. How many of you trust God and would do what He tells you to do? We know without a shadow of doubt He has our best interest at heart because He tells us so. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Hopefully, every bodies answer is absolutely.

I asked you those two questions because I see way too many Christians ineffective in their life because the devil has them tied up in knots. And in our two Scriptures this morning, God tells us as Christians what to do, but we are just not doing it. And I believe that it has to do with us not knowing how to resist the devil.

Scripture

James 4:7 (NKJV)

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

1 Peter 5:6-9 (NKJV)

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

Background Information

There are several New Testament writers that tell us to resist the devil. We just read a passage from James, the brother of Jesus, and one from the Apostle Peter. But Paul also writes in his Epistle to the Ephesians to withstand (to resist) the wiles of the devil. Three New Testament writers each telling us to resist the devil and yet the church for the most part has not taught its people to resist the devil. So today, let’s discuss how we can resist the devil.

Point #1

OUR POWER TO RESIST THE DEVIL IS FOUND IN OUR WILLINGNESS TO SUBMIT TO GOD.

James 7 Therefore submit to God.

1 Peter 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God…

Sometimes it feels like the devil or one of his demons from hell is camped on my doorstep. And when he does that, the Scripture tells me that He wants to destroy me as a Christian. He wants to ruin my reputation; he wants me to be filled with anger; he wants me not to love my neighbor; he wants me to lose interest in church and the things that Jesus loves; and, he wants me to feel so downtrodden that I have no energy to serve God.

The author, William Gurnall, in his book The Christian in Complete Armor says, Satan “sits in the corner and laughs” when he has pulled a Christian into some sin, or gets him or her to feel a spirit of oppression.

But praise be to God, the Bible tells me via these Biblical writers that as Christians you and I have weapons to resist the devil.

Now think about this! When the devil is camped on our doorstep what we usually do is pray. We pray something like this: Dear God, please remove Satan from my doorstep and stop him from putting me under a spirit of oppression. Please give me back my joy as a Christian. In Jesus name. Amen.

Prayer is a wonderful tool that God has given us, but it is not the only tool God has given us, and although it may be a helpful tool in this case (I would never tell you not to pray), it is not the only tool and in this case not the most effective tool. As Christians, we need to use all our tools in our toolbox.

James comes right out and says the best tool to resist the devil is to submit to God. Peter is a little wordier than James by telling us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, but he is saying the exact same thing: submit.

Now that word submit was a military type of term. It referred to the actions of an enlisted soldier when requested by the commanding officer to do something. If you ever served in the military, you know if your commanding officer told you to do something than you did it. Well, God is our commanding officer and if He is telling you to do something in your life and you fail to do it, you open the door for Satan to oppress.